TORONTO – While there’s no question over-the-top video services such as Netflix have become a “phenomenon” in Canada, the same can’t be said about subscription music streaming services, which have not been taken up to the same degree by consumers.
However, that may be about to change, according to digital media experts who spoke at the Digital Media at the Crossroads conference held on the University of Toronto’s downtown campus on Saturday.
Mark Allen, director of research and analysis for the CBC, outlined some recent trends in digital media in Canada, citing research from Numeris and the CBC’s own Media Technology…
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WHISTLER – John Gossling, executive VP and CFO at Telus told an investors conference last week that high-end smartphones such as the iPhone 6 and others give the company the ability to address any potential downside from the expiry of a large number of contracts in the latter part of this year.
He was referring to the CRTC’s June 2013 decision, outlawing three-year contracts. It came into force on December 3, 2013, which means that all wireless carriers, not just Telus, will have to deal with the ending of both three-year and two-year contracts this year, a number that…
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MONTREAL – With just days to go before Bell Let's Talk Day on January 28, Bell officially kicked off the $1 million annual Bell Let's Talk Community Fund for 2015.
Applications are now being accepted for grants from $5,000 up to $50,000 for community-based mental health initiatives from coast to coast to coast. Applications are open to registered not-for-profit organizations and registered charities to fund localized mental health programs, and the selection process is aided by mental health experts from across Canada.
The 2015 application period is open until March 31, and all 2015 Fund grants will be disbursed before…
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TORONTO – Rogers’ and Shaw’s SVoD service shomi added to its list of exclusive content Thursday after finalizing an agreement with Sony Pictures Television in Canada that includes four Amazon Original Series never-before-seen north of the border.
The agreement includes the Golden Globe-winning series Transparent (pictured) as well as Betas, Alpha House and Mozart in the Jungle. All 10 episodes of Transparent will be available starting Friday, while launch dates for the other three series will be announced in the coming weeks.
"The thing that's most exciting about Amazon Originals is the level of talent their series are attracting," said shomi’s head of content & programming, Marni Shulman, in the news release. "Some real Hollywood heavyweights…
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TORONTO – Controversial radio host Dean Blundell is returning to Toronto airwaves this spring as co-host of a new morning show on Rogers' sports radio station Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
Sportsnet said Tuesday that the new show, Dean Blundell & Co., will debut on March 2 and air weekdays from 5:30 AM to 9:00 AM ET. Blundell, who had his namesake radio show on Corus’ CFNY's 102.1 the Edge cancelled last January, will co-host the new show alongside Andrew Walker. Greg Brady, co-host of the current morning show Brady & Walker, will take over the 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM slot…
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TORONTO – Rogers has named Deutsche Telekom exec Dirk Woessner as president of its Consumer Business Unit, effective April 6, 2015.
Woessner, pictured, is currently director of sales at Deutsche Telekom (DT) in Germany where he is responsible for over CDN $25 billion in sales serving more than 39.5 million mobile, 20.8 million fixed line and 12.3 million broadband customers in that country. Since joining DT in 2002, he has held a number of leadership positions with Telekom Deutschland and T-Mobile in the UK and Germany. Prior to DT, he worked at McKinsey & Company in Munich and Madrid from…
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TORONTO – Canadian marketers are bullish on video’s growth, but have yet to fully adopt the strategies to best reach consumers, according to a new study by Videology.
The report, Consumers Lead Marketers on Path to Cross-Screen Convergence, was conducted on behalf of Videology by Marketing Magazine and Rogers Connect Market Research and Client Services in September and October of 2014 through the surveying of over 1,000 Canadian consumers and 104 Canadian marketers.
Despite marketers' perceived challenges in video advertising – half of all marketers say they don't have a video advertising strategy in place – they're…
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OTTAWA – Industry Canada has approved a transfer of spectrum licences held by Inukshuk to Bell Mobility Inc. and Rogers.
The two Broadband Radio Service (BRS) spectrum licences are in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspésie service area, and expire on March 31, 2021. Noting that Inukshuk is a partnership between Rogers and Bell Mobility Inc., with each owning a 50% partnership interest, Industry Canada said that the transfer will not result in any change in spectrum concentration.
“The Department has determined that the requested transfer of these spectrum licences will not impact the ability of existing and future competitors to…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications told investors today that the company is not happy with the financial results turned in by its business services division, so it has altered strategy and parted ways with the division’s leader, promoting Ron McKenzie to take over for John Piercy, who has left the company.
During the company’s quarterly conference call with financial analysts, company EVP and COO Jay Mehr noted that after seeing double-digit percentage growth in EBITDA its enterprise division for a few quarters, posting just 5% growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 wasn’t good enough.
Mehr said that couple…
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CALGARY – A drop in video subscribers helped to flatten first quarter profits at Shaw communications by 7.3%, the company reported Wednesday.
Consolidated revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 ended November 30, 2014 was $1.39 billion, up 2% from $1.36 billion in the same period last year, while total operating income before amortization dipped to $606 million from $608 million last year.
Net income fell 7.3% to $227 million from $245 million for the same quarter last year, though the current period included higher amortization and an equity loss related to new SVoD service shomi, a joint venture with Rogers…
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